EA Launches Ridgeline Games to Bring “Gripping Narratives” to the Battlefield Franchise

Electronic Arts has announced the name secretive Seattle studio helmed by Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto. Ridgeline Games, located in Seattle will develop content for future battlefield titles, with a focus on narrative content.

“Many of you know that Marcus Lehto joined the team earlier in the year. Today we announced the name of his new Seattle-based studio, Ridgeline Games. Marcus will bring his long legacy of creating fascinating worlds and gripping narratives to Battlefield. Backed by a world-class team, he’ll be leading the charge to develop a narrative campaign set in the Battlefield universe that will engage fans in new and exciting ways while remaining true to the classic elements of the series.” 

The new studio announced its creation on Twitter:

1st tweet! We’re humbled to join the legacy Battlefield has carried for 20 years. As we look to develop a narrative campaign set in the Battlefield universe, we’re excited to work closely with @EA_DICE @RippleEffect @IndustrialToys on this journey! https://t.co/Pmnwgj418t pic.twitter.com/8BWkFy4iCZ

— Ridgeline Games (@ridgelinegames) September 8, 2022

Returning to single-player campaign content represents a shift back to the Battlefield franchise’s roots. Battlefield 2042 notably lacked a campaign, as DICE and other Battlefield studios chose to focus on live service content, their open-world Hazard Zone mode, and the sandbox mode Portal.

Until recently, single-player content was not a focus of EA in general. Battlefield I and V have multiple short narrative campaigns called ‘War Stories’ that could be finished in a short period of time. 

Vince Zampella will continue to lead the development of the Battlefield Franchise across all studios. Ripple Effect, formerly DICE LA, will continue to develop content for Portal. 

“DICE is a multiplayer powerhouse and will use its expertise to continue developing Battlefield’s one-of-a-kind multiplayer suite while Ripple Effect is focused on creating an entirely new Battlefield experience that will complement and build upon the series’ foundations.”

While Ridgeline Games mentioned they are “developing a narrative campaign set in the #Battlefield universe”, it is unknown whether this campaign will be set in 2042 or future Battlefield titles. Since there are 2 seasons of BF 2042 planned, we can assume the latter.

EA looks to turn the tide on the battlefield franchise after a rocky launch of Battlefield 2042. 2042 reportedly failed to meet EA’s expectations, as sales were not as expected as well as a lack of content relative to prior Battlefield titles did not resonate with players. 

Marcus Lehto is most well-known as being a co-creator of the Halo franchise, working on all Bungie titles from Combat Evolved to Reach. It is safe to say the Battlefield franchise will be in good hands going forward. 

Update: The official Battlefield Twitter account has just made it clear that the new campaign content Ridgeline Games would be working on is not for Battlefield 2042, in specific. However, it is going to feature a narrative campaign that is set in the universe of Battlefield.